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Cyclist Dies of Injuries from Central Park Crash

Runners, cyclists, a dog and a tractor trailer! A great combo.

The cyclist who cops say lost control of his e-bike after making contact with a pedestrian at a crowded Central Park intersection has died of his injuries.

Charles Cheeseboro, 43, of Harlem, died Wednesday, two days after the 3:20 p.m. crash — about which few details are known.

Cops said only that they found Cheeseboro unconscious in the East Drive near 74th Street near a 77-year old pedestrian who had an unspecified minor injury. A preliminary investigation revealed that the cyclist had struck the pedestrian, lost control of his bike, and tumbled to the ground, striking his head.

He was taken to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he died.

Cheeseboro would be the 20th cyclist to die in New York so far this year — up from 10 all of last year — though it is unlikely that the NYPD will classify his death that way. The agency considers e-bike riders as motorcyclists in its crash statistics.

The area of the park where Cheeseboro suffered his fatal injuries is a notorious point of conflict among cyclists and pedestrians — and the many car drivers who still roll through the supposedly “car-free” greensward. City officials say cars and trucks are still allowed on Central Park roadways to make deliveries or to conduct official business, yet Streetsblog frequently spots cars that do not meet that description.

Signage in the park — including “Cars Only” paint marking — is still designed towards the automobile, despite the putative ban in June 2018.

This is a breaking story. 

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